Knowing Your Identity in Christ: I am Called to Stand (Ephesians 6:11-13)

How do you stand strong in faith and raise resilient Christian kids when life’s demands never seem to slow down?

On this episode of 7 Minute Devotions for Busy Parents, host Christen Clark dives into practical, hope-filled encouragement for Christian parenting amidst the chaos of daily life. Christen sets the stage for a deeper look at Ephesians 6, revealing how putting on the full armor of God equips parents and families to navigate spiritual battles with purpose, inspiration, and unwavering faith even when things get messy.

• [00:01:02] The call to stand firm
• [00:05:55] Real-life lessons in family time, discipleship, and trusting God’s word together in every season

Resources:

• Instagram: @7minutedevotions, @christenclark
• Family Podcast: @collidekidspodcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello and welcome to 7-Minute Devotions for Busy Parents. I'm Kristen Clark, and I'm so glad you're listening today. I am a mom, I'm a wife, I'm the host of two podcasts, I'm someone who's juggling a lot of things, and it's been so busy trying to wrap up the end of school, and now we're going into summer. And I thought maybe the busy would turn off, but no, we're just busy with summer things, and we're getting ready to do all the things all over again. So I guess we're just always gonna be busy parents. But that's why I created this show because we just need a few minutes to refocus and realign our hearts with God's word. So that's what we're gonna do today. We're gonna be looking at the end of Ephesians in this last chapter, and we're gonna talk about probably one of the most well-known passages in Ephesians that talks about the armor of God. But there's so much here in this section, so we're gonna split this into two episodes so we don't have to rush through it. Today we're just gonna lay the foundation, and then the next episode we'll talk more specifically about the armor itself, and I think you'll be really encouraged by it. But today we're gonna start in Ephesians 6, verses 11 through 13, where before Paul ever explains the armor, he gives believers a very clear instruction to stand. So today's truth is this: I am called to stand. So let's take a look at these verses. We're in the very last chapter of Ephesians chapter six, and we're gonna look at verses 11 through 13. It says, Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. I find it interesting that Paul repeats himself a lot in these three verses. He says, put on the full armor of God so that you can stand. He repeats those phrases. Let's talk about what that means to stand. Well, it means to not run away, to not panic, to not collapse in fear. We are called to stand. Now, I know when we start talking about spiritual warfare or spiritual forces or the devil or unseen spiritual battles, that can feel a little uncomfortable or even spooky to some people. But Paul's goal here is not to make believers afraid. It's actually the opposite. He wants them to understand that no matter what spiritual darkness exists around them, they are secure because God has provided what they need to stand firm. And not only that, he hasn't left us exposed or defenseless. He doesn't leave us out in the cold and say, good luck, hope it doesn't get you. He provides armor for us. It's his armor. That's important because the strength and protection we need does not come from ourselves. We talked about that a lot in our last episode. Our strength, our might, our power, it all comes from God. And Paul reminds us here that our battle is not ultimately against flesh and blood. It's not against people, which is honestly hard to remember sometimes because people are often the thing that are standing directly in front of us. It's easy to blame other people or to blame ourselves or to think the problem is only physical or emotional or circumstantial. But Paul says here there's also a spiritual battle happening underneath those things. And the enemy, the devil, is deceptive. Paul says he has schemes, he's he's smart, he's deceptive. He wants to distract us, to discourage us, to divide us, to tempt us, and to pull us away from what God has called us to do. We have a purpose, and the devil does not want us to fulfill that purpose. And honestly, one of the devil's oldest tactics is still the same as the one he used in the Garden of Eden. When he asked Eve, did God really say that? Can you really trust what God said? Is God really good? Does his word really mean what it says? And those are some of the same questions that still creep in our hearts today, especially when life is painful, especially when we're disappointed, when we feel lonely, when we've been hurt by people, when spiritual leaders fail us, when things don't go the way we hoped. Those are the moments when we're tempted to stop standing. But Paul says, stand firm anyway, trust God anyway, believe his word anyway. I also think it's interesting that Paul repeats this other phrase: put on the full armor of God, the full armor. I love this imagery of the full armor. It reminds me of when we signed my son up for football. And listen, I didn't know a whole lot about football equipment. And my husband grew up playing soccer, so he didn't have experience with football. So this was kind of new territory for us. And we had to go to an equipment fitting day where all the teams come together and my son had to try on helmets and shoulder pads. And then we had to go buy padded pants and cleats and mouth guards and all these different pieces, all this different equipment to protect the kids. And it struck me how important every piece was. Football is such a physical sport, and players are required to wear all of the equipment because impact, collision is expected. If you forget your helmet, guess what? You don't play. You need the full set of protection. And I think that's exactly the point Paul is making here. God doesn't say, just wear one, try them on, see what you like. He says, put on the full armor of God, all of it. And honestly, if God, who is the creator of the universe, who sees everything, who sees what we cannot see, is offering us protection and preparation for spiritual battle, why would we decide we only want part of it? And yet we do that sometimes. We rely on ourselves, we compromise, we drift away, we ignore what God has given us. I know I do, but this passage is reminding us to prepare ourselves daily, not to live in fear, but to live ready. And this is so important for us as parents because our children are growing up in a world full of confusion, distraction, fear, compromise, and deception. And our job as parents is not to panic about that. Our job is to stand. We are to help our children know the truth. We are to remind them God is trustworthy. We're to model faithfulness even when life is very difficult. Standing does not mean becoming angry or argumentative or combative. It means remaining faithful. It means continuing to trust God when culture shifts, when people disappoint us, or when circumstances feel uncertain. Listen, our children are watching how we respond to what happens in our life. So when they see us standing firm in faith, even if it's imperfect and messed up and we make mistakes, we're still teaching them where true security comes from. Well, before we pray, we're gonna go over our identity rhythm. So this is something we've done in every episode this season. So I'm gonna read these three short statements of who we are in Christ, why it's true, and how we live from it. And then at the end, I want you to say the identity statement one more time with me. So today's identity statement is I am called to stand. God has given me his strength, his truth, and his armor so I can stand firm against spiritual attacks. Because I'm called to stand, I will trust God's word and remain faithful even when life feels uncertain or difficult. Let's say the identity statement. One more time together, I am called to stand. Let's pray. God, we thank you for all that you've done for us. Thank you that you have not left us defenseless. Thank you that you have given us an armor and the ability to stand firm. Thank you for the courage that we have, knowing that you are with us, that we can trust in you, that we can trust in your word. God, I pray right now for the people that are listening that they would stand firm, that they would stand firm in their faith, that they would stand firm as parents, as protectors of their children. God, give them the strength and the wisdom to make good decisions for their family and help them to know that you are with them in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, friend, no matter what you're facing right now, you do not stand alone. God has given you what you need to remain faithful. In next episode, we're gonna talk more specifically about the armor itself and how each piece is equipping us for battle. So come back later this week and we'll finish out our Ephesians series together. Thanks so much for listening and remember who you are and who you belong to.